Southwest Montana News

Competing in a prestigious field with teams from Yale, Princeton, Duke, Stanford, and the University of Chicago, Carroll College's Talking Saints forensics team earned three awards at the University of California - Berkeley tournament in San Francisco on March 8-9.

The sophomore duo of Davis Thompson from East Helena and Brad Tomasovic from Great Falls performed strongly in preliminaries. They secured the third seed before being eliminated in the quarterfinals. Thompson was recognized as the tournament’s seventh-best speaker.

Seniors June LePage from Lewistown and Spencer McDonald from Missoula also advanced to the quarterfinals.

Coach Brent Northup remarked, “Berkeley’s an exceptional research university with a fine debate program, so their tournament attracted the best colleges in the country. All four of our teams were competitive, and for two of them to advance to the championship rounds was an affirmation of all the work they’ve done this year. I’ve always believed Carroll’s best students are on a par with the best anywhere. This weekend confirmed that. I was very proud of them.”

For three debaters—Charlie Said from Seattle, Spencer McDonald, and June LePage—the Berkeley event marked the end of their debate careers that spanned up to eight years including high school and college competitions. The conclusion was emotional as they completed their final rounds.

McDonald reflected on his experience by saying, “What an honor to compete alongside the Ivy Leagues,” adding that his last speech focused on "how a desire to leave a legacy is what connects us."

LePage shared similar sentiments about her final competition: “There are so many emotions that go into the last tournament: pressure to perform well, sentimental reminders of a long career...Spencer and I reminisced during the weekend about how it’s a privilege and honor to be part of the long tradition of competitive speaking.”

LePage has been admitted to medical school through the WWAMI program but acknowledged it was difficult bidding farewell to close friends.

During their visit to San Francisco, some team members took time off for sightseeing activities such as walking on Golden Gate Bridge or exploring local trails.

Catherine Dudley, a junior participant from Pendleton commented: “Berkeley was so much fun...I got to connect with nature and some redwoods before competition...I learned so much from Berkeley.”